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Open LetterToasterz.org's mission is to contribute to the movement of opensource software into the mainstream business world. Many businesses are bewildered by the costs and complication associated with information technology. Hardware capacity doubles every 18 months and prices drop, while proprietary software licensing costs have remained steady or increased. Since proprietary software's features aren't keeping pace, real software costs are effectively skyrocketing. This observation seems overlooked by so many. Opensource provides a terrific alternative to other licensing schemes. Have you read Microsoft's Licensing lately? More importantly, open source is an engine of innovation, whereas proprietary software tends toward the conservatism inherent in traditional business practices. The essence of the problem is this... what responsible organization is going to take any risk on something perceived as unproven and surrounded by FUD? (fear, unceartainty, and doubt) To overcome FUD we need 3 things
There are numerous sources on the web attesting to the fact that mature open source software offers important benefits over proprietary software. To better understand how opensource might work in your organization try these links. The numbers are compelling... according to the Robert Frances Group the three year TCO to deploy & operate a Linux server is $74,475. A Windows server will cost $190,662 and a Solaris server will cost $534,020. Here's the truly amazing statistic: it will only take one to four weeks to train your Unix admins in Linux to the same level of expertise. Why pay so much for less? Opensource software is freely available, without licensing costs. However, support is perceived to be expensive and hard to come by. IBM, Redhat, Novell, HP and other giants now offer and support Linux based solutions. Once in place, these solutions are extremely reliable and easy to use, not to mention more cost efficient to maintain than proprietary offerings. Kelley Graham, CEO |